This is the Victoria Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday, June 23 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature Birds
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BLUE JAY
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE

Tuesday, June 23
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A juvenile plumaged bird thought possibly to be a young BLUE JAY, STELLAR'S
JAY hybrid was at 10771 Madrona Rd. in North Saanich. It is in this
vicinity that a Blue Jay, eastern species, has been present for almost 3
years. Confirmation of this possible hybrid status is requested.

1 or more recently fledged BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were on Cresswell Rd. in North
Saanich. Watch for other fledged ORIOLES in the vicinity of Victoria Airport.

Up to 2 broods of Blue-winged Teal, a rare nester on the coast, are on a
private pond on John Rd. near Wilson Rd. in North Saanich.

Monday, June 22
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A young GREAT HORNED OWL and 2 territorial male WESTERN TANAGERS were at
Thetis Lake Park in Saanich.

2 SANDHILL CRANES were still on the north side of Martindale Rd. in Central
Saanich. They may still be in that vacinity.

Saturday, June 20
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A TUFTED PUFFIN was feeding off Clover Point in Victoria. A patient watch
there could reward you with another sighting of the TUFTED PUFFIN as well
as 4 other more common Alcids, Common Murre, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon
Guillemot and Marbled Murrelet.

4 Black Swifts were over Triangle Mtn. in Colwood.

Two successful birding events involving B.C. birders and Victoria birders
were reported last week. The Manning Park Bird Blitz tallied surprisingly
high numbers of Northern Water Thrushes, breeding Fox Sparrows, Mountain
Bluebirds and Townsend's Solitaires and reported a Ring-billed Gull,
Bonaparte's Gull and Greater Yellowlegs. These species perhaps almost new
to the park list, maybe even new to the park checklist. Over 70 species
were tallied during the Blitz.

The B.C. Field Ornithologists held a very successful trip to Southern
Alberta, recording between 155 and 160 species, including the Upland
Sandpiper, White-faced Ibis, large numbers of nesting Black-necked Stilts
and the expected McCown's, Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Sprague's Pipits
and Brown Thrashers. Unexpected and somewhat out of place was a single
Caspian Tern and way out in the open prairie without a tree in sight, a
male Western Tanager.

Some interesting birds seen by the B.C. Field Ornithologist members at
their Creston AGM following the Alberta trip included Forster's Tern, Wild
Turkey, American Bittern, American Redstart and Northern Goshawk.
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To report sightings of Interest, call the Victoria RBA Hotline at (250)
592-3381 and leave you NAME & TELEPHONE NUMBER plus a brief message
discribing the birds you saw. Or you may email: boom at islandnet.com and
submit your report.

To summon those who can confirm a rare species, call Brian Gates at (250)
598-7899 or the Goodwills' at (250) 382-9652.

Latest Victoria RBA reports are available on the web at:
Birding in British Columbia:
http://www.islandnet.com/~boom/birding/bc-home.htm

[Original Taped Message by Brian Gates. Transcribed by Virginia Jessop.]

Good Birding!